Going to a beach rental anytime soon? Make sure to pick up some cashew and almond butter for hearty breakfasts from the Peanut Principle. Also, pick up some organic teas to make pitchers of summer sun tea from Teagevity and some wildfower honey from Hudson River Apiairies to sweeten it.

And wherever you are headed, don’t forget to pack some refreshing Red Jacket juices for the road trip…

Speaking of hitting the road, some of our favorite volunteers, Rob and Nancy, are moving on. Rob always arrived by 7 a.m. to help us navigate the vendors’ cars and trucks at set-up. In order to move the vehicles out quickly each Saturday, he helped unload everything from barrels of pickles to buckets of sunflowers. We will be lost without him! Nancy always kept the market tent running smoothly and the bills in our money pouch facing one direction.

On behalf of the market, a giant THANK YOU for all your years of service. The market just won’t be the same without you two.

Our music this week is Serenata.

And the Dough Nation pizza truck will be parked on the street, in front of the Library …Maybe the pizza chef will slice some fairy tale eggplant on a pizza. Now that would be a dream come true.

Have you noticed a new face at the market? Perhaps selling you a t-shirt or announcing the start of kids’ yoga? Maybe even with an 11-month old strapped to her back? That new face is me-Angelines. I started two months ago as the Assistant Market Manager and it’s been the most fun and delicious two months of my life.

I’ve been a market shopper for years-ever since I moved back from California. Even though I live 20 minutes away in the Bronx, the Hastings market drew me north with it’s perfectly curated selection of vendors, festival-stage musicians, and town-square vibe. Last year I noticed a sign at the market tent asking for volunteers. I wasn’t in position to last summer- I was a little busy with a 2 year old and a newborn-but the desire to give back to a market that gives so much to my family stayed with me. Checking the website in April for volunteer opportunities, I saw Pascale’s job posting and here I am.

Working at the market every Saturday I see firsthand how important our volunteers are in making the market run smoothly. They help unload the trucks and vans so that by the 8:30 opening bell the strawberry rhubarb pie from Pie Lady & Son is unpacked, the gorgeous Tiny Hearts Farm bouquets are arranged, and Kontoulis’ Olive Oil is ready to refill your bottles. Our volunteers staff vendors’ tables so that they get a few minutes to shop. Volunteers sell our cute and cozy t-shirts (more have been ordered!). They do all the little things that make our market special and attract people, like me, from far beyond Hastings’ border.

The summer has been hard for us with a few of our dedicated volunteers moving away. That leaves us with some critical volunteer openings. Maybe you could fill them? We just need you for two hours a month (more if you can spare.) You’re at the market anyway, why not hang out and help out? If you’re interested in learning more or are ready to sign up shoot us an email or stop by the market tent tomorrow.

See you at the market!

Angelines

P.S. They say eyes are the windows to the soul…For me it’s food. To know who I am take a peek into my pantry and my pot. Usually you’ll find beans-lots of them! It’s a staple in Panama where my family is from. Grab some black beans from Brooklyn Bean this Saturday and try this classic Panamanian recipe.

A note from Pascale:

We have a packed house of vendors this week including two guest vendors…Itsa Pizza Truck, another roving pizza oven on wheels, will be parked in the street at the southern entrance of the market.

Honey Locust is also here – last time we spoke she was jarring comb honey – the healthiest, purest honey you can buy. Speaking of healthy – Erin of Wildseed Apothercary, is bringing her panoply of herbal tinctures and ointments and BITTERS.

Her all natural bug spray is a summer staple at my house and her vitality tonic has gotten me through this week of moving.

This requires some serious menu planning. We don’t, obviously, want to shlep food – especially frozen food – from one house to the next.

Our plan is to eat our way through the fridge and freezer by early next week.

The girls have inventoried both and posted their respective contents on the refrigerator door. My job is to come up with ways to use everything up in five days.

Astonishing how many farmers are represented in my freezer from the three markets I run. Needless to say we have been grilling a lot, eating in the back yard esp. now that I sold my stretch farm table (won’t fit in the new house).

Fortunately…we have re-discovered the Hudson Valley Duck Fat that was buried behind the Letterbox whole chicken and the Southtown Farms kielbasa.

Bliss!

What to do with all the mushrooms I collect from Gary at Wiltbank Farms every week even though I still have plenty left in the fridge? Why – saute them in duck fat of course.

What to do with these gorgeous fingerling potatoes from Neversink? Saute them in duck fat, of course. What to do with that gorgeous head of radicchio from Morgiewicz? Wilt it in duck fat, of course.

This is exactly what Angus, the dapper guy in the boater hat manning the Duck tent has been doing for the last few weeks. Towards the end of the market, when things start to quiet down, he plucks ingredients from his fellow vendors and sautes them in this amazing duck fat that they sell by the pound. Then he walks around the market offering samples.

There are advantages to hitting the market later in the day (fewer crowds, easier parking, vendor discounts) and this is definitely one of them…

Of course, you wouldn’t want to miss the music.

This week, we are celebrating Bastille Day a little late with French balladeers Les Tappan Zigues. If they have you reminiscing about la douce France, you can always grab a saucisson sec or pate de campagne from Larchmont Charcuterie, or get a Brittany-style crepe from Alex, both at market tomorrow.

Also here: Pure Food Sisters (stock up on PESTO and their horseradish) and The Peanut Principle with their dizzying variety of nut butters. Hudson River Apiaries has several varieties of LOCAL honey, such a nice addition to Sohha yogurt.

It happens to me every year about this time when the local greens come roaring in.

At the site of all those the crates brimming at market, I get a tad over-ambitious about how many greens my family can consume in a week.

By Thursday I have two options: make juice or make pesto.

This week, the latter won out. As if the inability to close my crisper drawers weren’t enough there’s all that great bread at Bien Cuit crying out for some layering love.

Here’s the good news: you can make pesto with just about any market green out there from carrot tops to beet greens to swiss chard.

What makes pesto so delicious is not the basil but the powerful combination of nuts, salty cheese, and uber-fresh greens. And, of course, quality oil.

This article on how to riff on pesto in Bon Appetit confirms that you don’t have to spend a lot of money on pine nuts that inevitably go stale – walnuts, sunflower seeds, pistachios even pumpkin seeds taste great in pesto. They mention one restaurant down South (Southbound) that’s known for its collard green pesto made with peanuts (!).

This recipe from SimplyRecipes.com doesn’t even call for cheese or garlic – but uses lots of cilantro, red onion and serrano chile instead. Just imagine how it would tastes with that bright and fragrant Morgiewicz cilantro…

And, here’s another news flash: presto doesn’t have to be GREEN!

Check out this recipe for mushroom pesto crostini from Giada De Laurentiis.

She uses a mix of dried porcini and button mushrooms because she probably doesn’t have the luxury of a Wiltbank Farms at her fingertips. You can use fresh shiitakes instead, natch. Incidentally – this funky cool-ish summer we’ve been having has made it possible for Gary to have product every week. LUCKY US. As soon as it gets too hot, Gary and his fantastic fungi disappear, so get them while you still can!

Brooklyn Bean is here tomorrow with their mouth-watering breakfast and lunch burritos – now with a sausage option. The Dough Nation pizza truck will be here NEXT week (the 18th) and so will the knife sharpener.

The MOBILE SHREDDER will be at the Zinsser commuter lot from 10 until 1 p.m. tomorrow get your paper discards together and kill two birds with one stone…

Why do I love living in Hastings? Because a friend of a dear friend just dropped off a giant tub of sour cherries from her backyard in my entryway, thinking I could use them.

How sweet is that?

Actually sour cherries aren’t sweet at all which is why, like rhubarb, they are so content in a pie.

This is the twice-baked Melissa Clark pie I plan to make this weekend with my bounty: Pre-baking the pie crust ensures your fruit pie will be syrupy but not soggy. Quelle difference!

No worries there should be plenty of sour cherries at the market for you.

If you are hosting a bbq (or two) this weekend, we will have plenty to offer your Weber:

Southtown Farms has eight different varieties of sausage and brats. Grass-fed beef patties and spatchcock chicken. Also: Pura Vida has tuna and swordfish and other “meaty” fish that are perfect for kebabs.

Wiltbank Mushrooms is back for another week (when it gets too hot Gary and his fabulous fungi will bow out for the season)…so you can saute some mushrooms with garlic, add parsley then layer them on top of your grilled steak or burgers.

Did you see the green and yellow squash that Taliaferro Farms brought to market last week?

I was inspired to dig up this old recipe for a summer squash gratin with salsa verde and gruyere from Food52, a hearty crowd pleaser that goes well with grilled meats.

Matt Saldano of Southtown Farms will be bringing grass-fed beef to the market for the first time this season.

If you aren’t on his mailing list consider signing up. Always nice to get inside the head of a farmer. Consider this excerpt from a recent blog post of his.

“Anthropologists will tell you that human beings always belonged in tribes. I think this is very true. My tribe is made up of farmers and customers that I get to chat with each week. Every market day, I go home with a smile on my face. Not for the sales we make, but for the community we have built and the relationships we have forged.”

Make your meal complete by preparing this bright summer slaw which features sweet carrots and cooling kohlrabi. Serve with a glass of Whitecliff Winery’s Traminettte would go down very nicely with this slaw…

The Pure Food Sisters – masters of all things pesto – are back this week. And, please check out visiting vendor Jnana Organics with their almond milks and fresh-pressed vegetable juices and boutique salads.

Speaking of salads, have you tried the new organic kale salad at True Foods? Made with mushrooms, tender lacinato kale leaves, almonds and an apple cider vinaigrette it is as delicious as it is righteous – perfect with one of Bien Cuit’s “mini” baguettes.

You’ll have to get to the market early for these babies…

See you at the market!

Pascale

]]>http://hastingsfarmersmarket.org/uncategorized/grass-fed-beef-bien-cuit-baguettes-and-summer-squash/feed0GARLIC SNAKES!http://hastingsfarmersmarket.org/uncategorized/garlic-snakes
http://hastingsfarmersmarket.org/uncategorized/garlic-snakes#commentsFri, 19 Jun 2015 17:14:10 +0000http://hastingsfarmersmarket.org/?p=1546Make that garlic scapes. Garlic snakes is what my kids used to call them whenever I brought them home from the market this time of year and dumped them on the butcher block.

No surprise. These twisty, curly bright green spears that shoot straight up from the garlic bulb are sometimes referred to as “serpent garlic.”

When you think of garlic, your mind goes to the squat bulb with papery skin. But this garlic starts out as green or spring garlic. Then it matures: the bulb and roots grow under the soil while a stem with leaves and a twisty “scape” shoot up above. This scape ( a botanical term that refers to a flower-bearing stem) is just as edible as the bulb.

For years, scapes were trimmed off and discarded in early summer so that all of the plant’s energy went straight to the bulbs underground. But these days, scapes are harvested for their own culinary merits and have become quite trendy among gourmets and locavores trying to reduce any and all food waste.

Tender garlic scapes have a delicate garlic flavor, and their fragrance hints at green grass and garlic. Scapes are vegetable, an herb, and an aromatic which makes them very versatile. Although the entire scape is edible, the pod and tip above it can be chewy and fibrous and are best discarded. Use garlic scapes as you would scallions or shallots, or in any dish that could use a garlicky note.

You can use them as a base for pesto or hummus, toss them in scrambled eggs or a stir-fry.

This recipe for orzo with garlic scapes and shiitake is so appealing because we have such beautiful shiitakes at market right now. (Madura Farms is having another mushroom sale this week).

Also, Larchmont Charcuterie is back this week – so stock up on saucisson sec and beef bresaola in case you’re headed for a Father’s Day picnic.

The Peanut Principle – with their dizzying array of nut butters (hemp, almond etc.) will be joining us tomorrow and every first and third Saturday of the month. Clean Ridge Soap, City Saucery, MOMO Dressing, Hudson River Apiaries and the KNIFE SHARPENER are also here this week.

And, we are very happy to welcome back Alex’s French Crepes, starting tomorrow.

Have errands to run after the market? Please remember to take advantage of our VEGGIE VALET service. Leave your fresh produce, fish and chicken in our market cooler and we’ll watch your items for you so you can shop downtown before heading back to your car at the train station.

Also: we’ve brought back our handy market shopping carts. Please use them at your leisure and return them to the train station lot when you are done, for the next shopper to use. Thanks!

Whether packing a pie, macerated in wine or stacked in a shortcake, strawberries rarely disappoint. Buy plenty at the market this month because it’ll be peach season before you know it and you’ll be wishing you’d eaten more of these sweet, conical berries that once grew weed-wild here and abroad and are a distant cousin to the rose.

I plan on making a strawberry tart before June slips away from all of us.

This one from chow.com in fact because I like that there is a touch of citrus in the pastry cream…

Champagne Kombucha TEA returns this Saturday. They may be late to the party but their fermented tea is effervescent as ever. This just might be the perfect (and perfectly legal) “bubbly” beverage for a high school graduation party.

The Knife Sharpener is back NEXT week (Third Saturday, Third Saturday, Third Saturday) as is Larchmont Charcuterie who is now on a twice a month schedule.

This week, there is a bit of cross-pollination going on between the flower tent and the music tent. I am happy to say that the jazzy Luke “fleet-fingered flower farmer” Franco TRIO will be performing from 10:15 to 12:15. Joining him is Hastings’ own Tim Armacost on tenor saxophone and Don Falzone on bass.

Worry not, Bee Ayer will be pushing petals per usual at the Tiny Hearts stand!

And have you seen these Marimekko-like poppies at the Tiny Hearts stand? Crazy beautiful.

Southtown Farms is having a special on ground pork and ham roasts and he now is bringing spatchcock chicken. Letterbox Farm Collective is also here this Saturday with their whole chickens and pork, their heirloom greens and their RHUBARB SODA & SWITCHEL.

I love their idea of making a rhubarb syrup and using it as a base for everything from a gin cocktail (yes!) to a rhubarb float — particularly one made with Penny Lick’s vanilla bean ice cream. (incidentally – they are taking a day off this week).

I also like their idea of roasting rhubarb with beets (Morgiewicz will have their first of the season!) and layering them with goat cheese atop of a bouncy frisee salad. This and a slice of miche bread from Bien Cuit and I’m in simple pleasures heaven.

Soundtrack? Ruby Reilly, of course, back for the summer from Oberlin and returning to the market to play her ukelele and visit old friends.

Our honey folks are back.

Should be a sweet, sweet day at the market.

See you at the market!

Pascale

]]>http://hastingsfarmersmarket.org/uncategorized/rosy-rhubarb-and-ruby-reilly-together-again-at-the-hastings-farmers-market/feed0Memorial Day is about GRILLING – and so much more…http://hastingsfarmersmarket.org/uncategorized/memorial-day-is-about-grilling-and-so-much-more
http://hastingsfarmersmarket.org/uncategorized/memorial-day-is-about-grilling-and-so-much-more#commentsFri, 22 May 2015 12:00:20 +0000http://hastingsfarmersmarket.org/?p=1518dear shoppers,

As a veteran of the Iraq War, he also knows there’s more to the holiday than back-yard barbecues. Much more.

A U.S. Marine Corps vet, Soldano was deployed to the Al Anbar Province of Iraq in 2004. His unit was charged with defending the outer perimeter of the Abu Ghraib prison.

He was lucky enough to make it home alive, to New Jersey, albeit with a severe case of PTSD due to a traumatic brain injury he suffered in Iraq.

At first, he wondered if he could ever find civilian work that would suit him. Then, he discovered farming. He started with just a handful of chickens but knew immediately he was on the right path. With some help from the Farmer Veteran Coalition he was able to start Southtown Farms in Mahwah in 2010.

“When I am working with my animals and working on my land … I trust people,” he says. “I feel very good about the direction my life is going. I am proud of what I do. I enjoy the fact that day by day I am bringing healthy, safe, and clean food to my community.”

This week, he is bringing 7 varieties of his whole hog sausage (“all meat, no weird stuff”), dark-meat chicken leg quarters designed for the grill, boneless skinless chicken breasts and grass-fed beef for hamburgers. All of his animals are raised free of antibiotics, hormones and grain diets.

Matt is committed to raising all of his animals in the “free-est” environment possible. These days, his worst enemies are the coyotes and bears who sometimes get too close to the perimeter of his farm.

This weekend, he encourages people to “go out, fire up the grills, and have fun,”

“But make sure that at some point during the weekend, you pause and make a toast to our fallen heroes.”